Ashten Byrne

I am currently a part-time Graduate Student at Boston University Metropolitan College earning a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice, with a focus on Cyber Security and Cyber Investigations. I am projected to Graduate in May 2018. I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice from The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, and a member of the Class of 2014.

Since graduating from The Citadel, I worked as a Federal Contractor at the Department of State's Diplomatic Security in Washington DC as an Armed Protection Officer. This was my very first experience in law enforcement as a uniformed officer with arrest authority. I got married and moved to the Jacksonville area in North Carolina, where I work full-time as a Correctional Officer with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety at the New Hanover County Correctional Facility, or Wilmington City. I am actively pursuing employment with different police departments, sheriff's offices, and State Bureau of Investigations.

"First Responders" is a family business of ours. My father is a career fireman, paramedic, and National Guardsman, where he served as Beaufort City's Fire Marshal and Lieutenant in South Carolina. His late father, or my late grandfather, retired as a Lieutenant with the City of Boston Fire Department. There are many distant relatives in my family that also served as firefighters, as well. So why am I pursuing Law Enforcement instead of Fire Service? Well, not only to play endless jokes with my father, but it was a calling to me. I grew up in the line of service, whether that is military or as a first responder, and I always knew that it was a career I wanted to be a part of due to my exposure. My father used to take me to calls, whether it was a house fire or car accidents, and I loved it. It is safe to say that First Responders run in my blood!